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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Patch on left courtesy of Cully Middleton & submitted by Gary Carlson, center left courtesy of Bill Hughes, on second right by Mike Smolinski, right by Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.

Pomfret (SS-391)

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - November - Lima

Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 14 July 1943, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.; Launched, 27 October 1943; Commissioned USS Pomfret (SS-391), 19 February 1944;
The 39th President of the United States, James "Jimmy" E.
Carter qualified and served in Pomfret between 29 December 1948 and 1 February
1951. Decommissioned in April 1952 for GUPPY IIA upgrade at Mare Island Naval
Shipyard, Vallejo, CA. Re-Commissioned on 5 December 1952 and operated locally
from her home port of San Diego, CA and periodic Western Pacific deployments with
the U. S. Seventh Fleet. In April, 1971 Pomfret embarked the prospective Turkish
Navy crew at San Diego for training and on 1 July 1971, she was transferred to the
Republic of Turkey and renamed TCG Orucreis (S-337). After transiting the
Panama Canal, she underwent an overhaul at the Philadelphia Navy Yard until January
1972. (Note: Orucreis was the name of an Ottoman Empire Admiral that, with his
brother Hizar Reis, took control of Algeria from Spain in 1506). Before departure for
Turkey, Orucreis (S-337) participated in joint ASW exercises around Key West, FL.
She arrived at Izmir, Turkey and was Commissioned into the Turkish Submarine
Forces on 3 May 1972. Pursuant to the Foreign Military Sales Act of 1968, the
ex-Pomfret was sold to the Republic of Turkey on 1 August 1973; concurrently
struck from the U. S. Naval Vessel Registry and the title transferred.
TCG Orucreis (S-337) was Decommissioned on 15 September 1986.
Final Deposition and fate unknown.
Pomfret received five battle stars for World War II service. Researched by CTRC Donald J. Wagner, USN (Ret) for NavSource.
Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced 1,526 t., Submerged 2,391 t.; Length 311' 9"; Beam 27' 3"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10 kts; Submerged Endurance, 48 hours at 2 kts; Operating Depth, 400 ft; Complement 6 Officers 60 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5"/25 deck gun, one single 40mm gun mount, one single 20mm gun mount, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear, four Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, 5,400 HP, Fuel Capacity, 116,000 gal., four Elliot Motor Co. electric main motors with 2,740 shp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.

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Pomfret (SS-391) starts to slide down the launching ways on 27 October 1943.

Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.

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Pomfret (SS-391) in original configuration.

Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.

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Commemorative postal cover on the occasion of Pomfret's (SS-391) commissioning, 19 February 1944.

Courtesy of Jack Treutle.

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Plankowner Officers and crew of the Pomfret (SS-391) celebrate at her commissioning party, 19 February 1944.

Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.

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Plankowner Officers of the Pomfret (SS-391) celebrate at her commissioning party, 19 February 1944.

Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.

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After refit and training, Pomfret (SS-391) reentered the same patrol area 1 November 1944 as part of a wolf pack. The next night Pomfret torpedoes and damages troop transport Atlas Maru, 7,347-tons, & passenger-cargo vessel Hamburg Maru, 5,271-tons, which is scuttled by an escort. The next day the Atlas Maru is beached off 20'18'N, 121?51'E Sabtang Island and declared a total loss.

Pomfret (SS-391), off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, on 9 August 1962.

Official USN photo # NH 98634, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

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Pomfret (SS-391) off Mare Island on 23 August 1962. YRB-18 is in the background along with the sterns of two decommissioned submarines, the Pampanito (SS-383) inboard & Sunfish (SS-281), with her after deck being removed.